I work with several small builders that build just a few homes a year in the Wasilla and Palmer areas. These builders take pride in their work and spend a lot of their own time, sweat, and even blood on these homes.
Often, a buyer will ask who is the best home builder in the Mat-Su Valley. They are expecting the answer to be one of the big builders in the area. They are surprised to find that the best builders are people whose names they have never heard. There are many small builders in the area. In fact, last fall I counted over 138 different builders that had homes for sale in the Mat-Su Valley.
I recently worked with three different builders who build one home at a time and do it all with cash. They spend their own money without resorting to banks. Because of that, they are not under a time crunch and can spend the time to get the trim right, and fix little things that would normally be covered up. They can also pass savings on to the buyer because they did not have to pay for loan closing costs and interest rates. However, some small builders are under-capitalized and hanging on by a thread. Those are not the ones you want to choose to build your new home.
When one builder asked where he should build his next home and what he should build, I told him that he should build a home under $300,000 or even preferably under $250,000 in an area not already saturated with new homes. Most people want to buy in the core area, this is between Church Road and Palmer and south of the Little Susitna River.
The map above, (click to enlarge), shows that most of the new homes under $250,000 are outside of the core area. All the little blue dots are new homes under $250,000. One savvy local builder, Jess Hall, pretty much sticks to this core area. He knows the three laws of real estate. Many others build outside the core because they found less expensive land. That will work as long as they pass that savings on, but often, it will take longer to sell the home.
Interested in new construction? Give me a call, 907 232–7900. I can put you in touch with a builder you will really enjoy. We work with all the big builders, and a whole bunch of smaller builders.
